The Rescue of Athena One
| With = Jules Bergman as Himself | Uncredited = | Uncertain = | Producer = Sam Strangis and Donald R. Boyle | Writer = D. C. Fontana | Teleplay = | Story = | Director = Larry Doheny (uncredited) | Production = 40024 | Original = 15 March, 1974 | Prev = Eyewitness to Murder | Next = Dr. Wells is Missing | Related = Nightmare in the Sky }} Steve trains the first American woman astronaut, who along with another injured astronaut, becomes stranded at the Skylab space station. Steve returns to space to lead the rescue, only to have his bionics malfunction. Summary Steve Austin is posted to NASA where he is tasked with training America's first woman astronaut – Major Kelly Woods. Despite, initial problems Major Woods completes her training and is launched into Earth orbit in Athena One with fellow Astronaut Osterman on a mission to discover new sources of energy. Shortly afterwards Athena One is rocked by an explosion which seriously injures Osterman. Fortunately Major Woods is able to dock the crippled space capsule with the orbiting Skylab space station where it is intended she will await the arrival of a rescue team and doctor. However, the explosion has jammed the capsule’s hatch, trapping Woods and Osterman inside. Steve is launched into space alongside Flight Surgeon Wolf to treat and rescue the trapped astronauts. Upon docking with Skylab Steve manages to force the trapped hatch open giving Woods and the still unconscious Osterman access to the space station. Flight Surgeon Wolf subsequently carries out a surgical procedure to remove shrapnel from Osterman. However, during a spacewalk to carry out repairs to Athena One, Steve’s Bionics begin to malfunction due to the higher levels of radiation present. As a result Major Woods has to command the Athena One Rescue capsule, containing all four astronauts inside, successfully back to Earth. Novelization "The Rescue of Athena One" is one of a handful of Six Million Dollar Man episodes to be adapted as a novel. The novelization was written by Mike Jahn, who combined the storyline of this episode with that of "Straight On 'Til Morning" for his book. See The Rescue of Athena One (novel). Deconstructed Quotes Steve: Where do you think you're going Major? Woods: Out, Colonel Sir! Steve: Look, you run into trouble up there you can't walk away from it. Now get back in that capsule and we'll run it again. Woods: We've been at this for six hours. Steve: Look I don't make up the program lady, I've just been asked to help you - and I didn't want to do that. Now if you don't mind we'll get back in that capsule and we'll work on it again. Woods: Yes, Sir... Capcom: Steve, You got a problem? Steve: Yeah, how do I get fired off this job? ---- Woods: (referring to a fallen stage light) You caught it with one hand, how? Steve: Well, two hands are for beginners. ---- Steve: Did you try to blow the hatch with the emergency system? Woods: I've tried everything but a can opener. Want to bring me one? ---- Woods: Steve, I can't let you go outside? Steve: Kelly, Me Colonel, You Major. Remember? Trivia * The director of this episode - Larry Doheny - is not listed in the opening credits. * A semi-sequel to this episode occurs in the fourth season, when Major Kelly Woods returns in . Farrah Fawcett — or as she was credited in this episode, Farrah Fawcett Majors — would make a couple of other appearances as diffierent characters in "The Peeping Blonde" (as Victoria Webster) and "The Golden Pharaoh" (as Trish Hollander), * Jules Bergman, who appears as himself in this episode, served as Science Editor for ABC News from 1961 until his premature death in 1987. He is best remembered for his expert coverage of the American space program. * Explaining his show of super-human strength, Steve tells Woods that following his accident, Rudy made him better than before. * A nervous Oscar Goldman smokes while waiting for Steve's safe return. This is the only time in either series that he smokes. Gaffes Continuity * In the stock footage used for the space walk scenes one of the astronauts is seen wearing a red helmet. However, in the episode both Austin and Woods are clearly seen to be wearing standard white NASA helmets. * 'External' shots continue to show only one spacecraft docked at Skylab when two should be visible, after Steve and the doctor have arrived at the space station. * The Skylab was a stock shot, as the one shown in the episode does not show one missing solar panel (that ripped off during launch) and the thermal shield (installed by the 1st Skylab crew). * Steve's command of Rescue One is described by Jules Bergman as Austin's first return to space for the first time since he walked on the moon in January 1972. This seems to contradict the Moon and the Desert version of the original pilot, where Rudy states Steve had two more moonshots after the one depicted at the top of that episode. It does not, however, contradict the original version of the pilot, in which no explicit reference is made to how many moonshots Austin made. Credibility * On Kelly Wood's boots in the Apollo Command Module, when she is standing up to try to open the jammed hatch, you can see a green/yellow large flower on the side of her boots. Gallery Image:TRoAO-Astronauts.jpg|Helping Astronaut Osterman. Image:TRoAO-SteveWatchesWoods.jpg|Steve watches as Kelly pilots the capsule back to earth. 108